Copenhagen-based Nordea Asset Management ( NAM ), part of the Nordea Group, the largest financial services group in the Nordic region, has aligned its impact framework with best industry practices by becoming a signatory of the Operating Principles for Investment Management ( OPIM ), the global standard for integrating impact throughout the investment lifecycle.

With this pledge, NAM, it says, enhances the impact investment process for its global impact strategy, including external validation.

The nine principles that are part of the standard offer investors a comprehensive set of rigorous practices that guide the integration of impact – from idea generation to reporting – elevating industry standards and promoting greater transparency and accountability within the impact investing community.

To become a signatory, NAM, it points out, has aligned the impact management systems and processes of its global impact strategy with the principles. Moreover, the asset manager has agreed to publish an annual disclosure statement detailing how its impact framework adheres to each of the principles. This statement, the company adds, will be made publicly available to investors and will undergo periodic independent verification to ensure the continuous alignment with the standard.

OPIM signatories represent more than a third of the global impact investing market by size and span a diverse range of investors, asset classes, impact themes and geographies. This initiative ensures that signatories, regardless of sector or region, adhere to a common standard of practice in impact investing.

“By participating in this global initiative, we aim to contribute to greater clarity, discipline and accountability to the field of impact investing,” says Nils Bolmstrand, the asset manager’s CEO. “We believe this will not only strengthen our investment approach but also contribute to meaningful social and environmental progress.”